My mother always used to say that she enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner better the next day, once it was just the four of us and the stress of the meal prep was behind us.
I tend to agree. And when we get tired of reheating plates of turkey and gravy, there are plenty of ways to turn the rest of the turkey into something else altogether.
http://ift.tt/2iNabZ8Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make is from contributing writer Dianna Kennedy and contains affiliate links.
Looking for a way to get your children involved in gift giving this Christmas season? How about letting them lend a hand with making homemade gifts for your family and friends? Take a look at these homemade gifts kids can make, with a little help.
Here are some cute smaller ones too.
My grandmother made I Spy Bottles for my children one Christmas. They were a huge hit!
These would be a great gift for young children – perfect for taking to church or the doctor’s office.
Children can help you dye the rice, pick out tiny objects for the bottles, and help fill the bottles with a funnel.
Mixing up target practice with snacking? Of course!
My friend Angie shares her instructions for making a Marshmallow Shooter. This would be a great gift for boys or even a dad who has everything.
While you’re there, don’t miss her Wooden Block Nativity tutorial. This childproof Nativity scene would make a treasured gift.
Have some puzzles that are missing some pieces? Grab some white paint, and create snowflake ornaments for your tree, or to give to others. You could even try a few in silver or gold.
Reindeer Thumbprint Ornament
My children and I have tried the Snowman Family Ornaments in years past, and they turned out so cute!
I think this year, we will give these Reindeer Thumbprint Ornaments a try. I love the bright, non-traditional colors.
Check out more Christmas Ornament crafts for kids here
Almost everyone loves sweet treats for Christmas!
Check out this fun twist on your average chocolate covered pretzels! Kids can help dip the pretzels, sprinkle them with red sugar, or even add the mini marshmallows.
In my house, we have a million pieces of broken crayons. Instead of throwing them away, you can recycle them for a fun twist.
Your kids can help by peeling the wrappers off the crayons or helping to sort them by colors. Kids also love to fill the muffin tins or silicone molds in fun shapes.
As Christmas draws nearer, I always seem to think of more folks for whom we need to get a gift. We have our American Heritage Girls leaders, horseback riding instructors, and even the UPS man!
My kids love helping with Christmas gifts, so we will use some of the ideas at Today’s Fabulous Finds. One of my favorites is ‘We Wisk You a Merry Kiss-mas!’
Added bonus? Many of these gifts are super easy on your budget.
I’m a giant sucker for any handprint or footprint crafts, and I love looking through the ideas at Christmas Your Way. You could make a calendar, or use the ideas you find there to make a canvas print instead.
I’m super jealous of my friend Mary Jo’s crafty skills. She has some adorable Christmas ornament tutorials, including superhero ornaments, a unique spin on the thumbprint reindeer and a fingerprint snowman ornament.
For as long as I can remember, I helped my grandmother with baking cookies and treats for Christmas.
My kids LOVE helping me in the kitchen, and chocolate covered pretzels are some of their favorite treats. You can add a fun twist with sprinkles, Christmas tree shaped pretzels or edible glitter.
Do you have a favorite homemade gift kids can make? Be sure and share your ideas with us!
Other Posts You May Like:Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. They don’t change the price you pay. However, when you shop through them, we may receive a small compensation. Thanks!
Post originally published November 19, 2013. Post updated in November 2017.
The post Easy and Inexpensive Ideas for Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make appeared first on Real Life at Home.
http://ift.tt/2j0NLCIDo you want to start the elf on the shelf tradition with your kids but you aren’t sure what it’s all about? Do you need good elf on a shelf ideas for your elf?
I know it can be hard to come up with ideas for your elf each night, after a long tiring day. That’s why I’ve put together these 25 good elf on a shelf ideas for you. Grab the printable below.
I’ve included referral links for your convenience. When you purchase through them I can make a little money at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure policy for more information.
What is Elf on a Shelf?It’s a Christmas tradition about how an elf comes to watch over kids so he or she can report back to Santa about who has been naughty and who has been nice.
You can get the book that comes with an elf at Amazon.com.
What do you do with Elf on the Shelf?Each night during the Christmas season the elf is placed in a new spot for the kids to find the next day.
The elf shouldn’t be touched by the kids, as it will lose it’s magic to get to the North Pole to report to Santa who has been naught and who has been nice.
At the end of the Christmas season the elf is packed away until next year.
Good Elf on the Shelf IdeasNow thinking of things to do with your elf can be hard when all you want to do is go to bed. That’s why my kids and myself came up with 25 ideas of what to do with your elf each day.
Most are really quick and easy to do because I’m sure you don’t have a lot of time to pose and put your elf in a new spot each night.
A few of these good elf on the shelf ideas take more time and those might be good to do over the weekend when you can get your husband to help.
But most are quick, easy, and fun to do. Plus I have a printable below to help you make a plan for your elf on the shelf with 25 ideas.
It also comes with an arrival note and a goodbye note as well as why the elf didn’t move last night note for those nights you forget to move the elf to a new spot.
25 Good Elf on the Shelf IdeasThese ideas can help you have a plan for what to do with your elf on those days you can’t think of anything.
Have your elf…
1. take a nap in a slipper
2. make mini pancakes for breakfast
3. help by vacuuming
4. feed the cat or dog
5. drink cocoa (have elf drink out of a coffee cup filled with marshmallows)
6. write Christmas cards
7. put toothpaste on the kid’s toothbrushes for them
8. sit in the refrigerator door wrapped in a washcloth
9. wash the window
10. cut paper snowflakes
11. fly in an elf hot air balloon tie a toilet paper tube to balloon with yarn and place your elf in it. Hang from ceiling with clear string.
12. play an instrument (guitar, flute, harmonica)
13. play checkers with other toys
14. read the Bible
15. wrap presents
16. slide down a lampshade
17. eat elf cookies (place small cookies on a plate near the elf nibble on a few)
18. make a swing (place a string through a toilet paper tube and hang in a doorway)
19. peek over the lamp above the kitchen table
20. nap on the shelf on a toilet paper pillow
21. take a marshmallow bath in a bowl
22. get stuck in salad spinner jail (place elf in a salad spinner with a help sign on the counter)
23. hide in the Christmas tree
24. Make an elf ball pit out of a basket and pom poms
25. read a story to the other toys
Get these Good Elf on the Shelf PrintablesIn this printable pack, you’ll find a list of the 25 ideas above. Arrival and goodbye notes as well as a note to print and put out in case you forget to move the elf one night.
There are so many good elf on the shelf ideas out there, I hope you found a new one or two to try with your elf.
What’s your favorite place to put your elf on the shelf in your home?
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Hi. I’m Tracy, a Buyer at Improvements. I enjoy making Christmas cookies with my family, and this year I’m especially excited to use my Gotham Steel Bakeware. Growing up, we used to make at least a dozen different kinds of cookies. And now…
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When it arrived, the first page that fell open in Jill O’Connor’s new book Cake, I Love You! was her recipe for Salted Pecan Cake.
A not-so-subtle voice in my head screamed, “Stop what you are doing right now and go directly into the kitchen.”
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